Works to upgrade the King Island Hospital will be suspended this week to mitigate any risk to the community posed by unnecessary travel.
Construction will stop by Friday 10 April, which will allow for the completion of essential work, including a dedicated room to respond to coronavirus, the installation of heating systems and the completion of the fire service water mains.
The redevelopment requires a number of people to be moving from mainland Tasmania to King Island and return, and it is necessary that this be minimised given the current risks associated with coronavirus.
This will delay the scheduled completion date beyond December 2020.
We acknowledge that this is a difficult decision and we are sorry to the community that this project is being delayed, but we must ensure that COVID-19 risks are managed appropriately wherever possible.
Importantly, this decision has been made in consultation with the King Island Council and the local clinicians.